1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a radiation image capturing method employing a radiation conversion panel for detecting a radiation that has passed through a subject and converting the detected radiation into radiation image information, and a radiation image capturing system and a radiation information system for carrying out such a radiation image capturing method, and more particularly to a radiation image capturing method for identifying a radiation conversion panel, and a radiation image capturing system and a radiation information system for carrying out such a radiation image capturing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the medical field, there have widely been used radiation image capturing apparatus which apply a radiation to a subject and guide the radiation that has passed through the subject to a radiation conversion panel, which captures a radiation image from the radiation. Known forms of the radiation conversion panel include a conventional radiation film for recording a radiation image by way of exposure, and a stimulable phosphor panel for storing a radiation energy representing a radiation image in a phosphor and reproducing the radiation image as stimulated light by applying stimulating light to the phosphor. The radiation film with the recorded radiation image is supplied to a developing device to develop the radiation image, or the stimulable phosphor panel is supplied to a reading device to read the radiation image as a visible image.
In the operating room or the like, it is necessary to read and display a recorded radiation image immediately from a radiation conversion panel after the radiation image is captured for the purpose of quickly and appropriately treating the patient. As a radiation conversion panel which meets such a requirement, there has been developed a radiation detector having solid-state detectors for converting a radiation directly into an electric signal or converting a radiation into visible light with a scintillator and then converting the visible light into an electric signal to read a detected radiation image. The radiation conversion panel is separate from a console as a controller and a radiation source because the radiation conversion panel is used to capture radiation images of various areas of patients (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-141473). Radiation conversion panels that are capable of wireless communications have been introduced into the art because they are highly convenient to use.
Radiation image capturing systems which employ radiation conversion panels are required to prevent the radiation conversion panels from being mixed up or mistaken in use.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-141473 discloses an X-ray image capturing system including a removable adapter having identification information of a wireless cassette recorded therein and mounted in an adapter mounting slot in the wireless cassette. When the wireless cassette is in use, the removable adapter is removed from the adapter mounting slot in the wireless cassette, and inserted into an adapter mounting slot in an X-ray generator, which detects the identification information of the cassette from the adapter, so that the wireless cassette and the X-ray generator can be combined with each other (the abstract of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-141473).
However, since the adapter that is holding the identification information of the cassette is removable from the cassette, if the adapter is missing, the identification information of the cassette is lost. According to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-141473, the identification information recorded in the adapter and the identification information recorded in the cassette itself are checked against each other. The X-ray image capturing system operates normally insofar as the adapter and the cassette are in proper combination. If wireless cassettes for use with the X-ray image capturing system are mixed up and the wrong wireless cassette is used with the X-ray image capturing system, the disclosed X-ray image capturing system is unable to detect such a confusion.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-198043 discloses a system for saving image data captured by a radiation image capturing apparatus according to an examination instruction, in combination with patient information (the abstract, etc. of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-198043).
According to the system disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-198043, though not explicitly stated, the operator (radiological technician) judges whether the combination of the patient information and the image data is proper or not. Therefore, there is a possibility that the patient information and the image data may be improperly combined with each other. Specifically, though the operator is required to select a film according to the examination instruction, the operator may possibly use a different film due to a clerical oversight. It is customary for the operator to confirm the proper combination of the patient information and the image data by checking the name of the subject (patient) with the subject. If the subject gives a wrong answer to the operator, then the operator may possibly mistake the subject for someone else.